Thoughts: This box set is a godsend. I mean, five really good Beatle solo albums, plus an awesome live album and a great DVD. Of course, everything about it is great, except for the price ($130 on Amazon...ouch! I don't remember paying that much though, in 2004) and the odd choices of bonus tracks. You miss the great tracks from George's The Best Of Dark Horse that he recorded for that compilation. Of those three tracks, the closest we get is the live version of "Cheer Down" on Live In Japan. "Poor Little Girl" and "Cockamamie Business" are two of my favorite George tracks but are unfortunately missing. 33 & 1/3 includes "Tears Of The World", the only track from Somewhere InEngland's cast-away four that is here and the reason it is included on an album recorded five years earlier remains a mystery. George Harrison, Somewhere In England and Gone Troppo all include acoustic demos of probably the best songs off those albums. Cloud Nine includes two songs from the Madonna disaster Shanghai Surprise, although as the DVD reveals, there are plenty more George songs from that film that could have been included as bonus tracks. Live In Japan is presented by SACD hybrid discs which does beg the question: what about the rest of the LPs? I don't have an SACD player and considering that platform has been ruled dead, I guess it doesn't matter. The albums are remastered amazingly. I have the original CD releases of 33 & 1/3 and George Harrison and there is no comparison between those and these 2004 versions. On the DVD, you get an excruciatingly short promo film giving an overview of the box, plus all but one of George's promo films from these albums (only "Blow Away" is missing...arg!), excerpts from the Live In Japan film and Shanghai Surprise. What makes the DVD really cool is the inclusion of little introductions taken from various interviews of George.

The albums are all available separately in the exact same packages as in the box set, but some of them are more difficult to find than others. In the four years since their release they are all actually becoming really hard to find. Live In Japan is probably the rarest of them all. I've only seen that a few times, the same with Gone Troppo and Somewhere In England. Olivia annoyingly actually released the DVD by itself, but I'm not sure if that comes with a booklet that includes the same incredible essay that the box includes. The DVD is packaged in a hardcover book, filled with great pictures of George and the after mentioned essay. Each CD is packed in a conventional jewel case, with booklets that include lyrics. Live In Japan, 33 & 1/3 and George Harrison have I, Me, Mine excerpts. Gone Troppo has a really interesting fold-out poster instead of a conventional booklet, which is rather silly, although I guess that goes with the unique artwork that graced the original LP. Somewhere In England features George's original art design, but fails to include the actual final design, although that was so boring it might be a good thing. (This also begs the question: if they could go through the trouble of reinstating the original art, why couldn't they include the original tracks?) Cloud Nine doesn't have lyrics, but still has an extensive booklet with interview quotes and the full LP art. (Also, GeorgeHarrison's title has been changed from a type-face to George's signature.)

Rating: If you have any of these albums already, don't go for this. If you don't have any of them, but would like them, get this and find it cheap. At retail it goes over $100, but I'm sure you could find it under that at places like eBay. 8/10

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